Box Score SALEM, Mass.—Angela Botiba scored 25 points and pulled down 18 rebounds and Molly McLaughlin hit the winning basket with two seconds to play to lead the Skidmore College women's basketball team to a 69-68 win over Salem State in the first round of the Salem Holiday Tournament.

The Thoroughbreds will play Albertus Magnus in Monday's championship game at 4 p.m.
 
Skidmore (4-4) was down five, 67-62 with 1:10 to play when Amber Holgate calmly drained a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game, 67-64.  The Thoroughbreds got the ball back after a missed Salem free throw and Jordyn Wartts scored on a lay-up with :41 left to make it 67-66.  The teams traded free throws before McLaughlin scored on a driving lay-up  with two seconds to play to win the game, 69-68.
 
Botiba added five steals and three blocks.  Wartts, Holgate and McLaughlin finished with 10 points each and Wartts had a team-high six assists.

"Thriller, absolute thriller," said Skidmore coach Darren Bennett. "Salem State is a really good team with players at every position.  Their starting guards can score off the bounce and from behind the arc, their bigs post hard and big and hit perimeter shots.  Their match up 2-2-1 press really gave us trouble.

"We were not able to hit a lot of perimeter shots and didn't hit the offensive boards until the second half.  Angela was huge for us on the boards on both ends and our free throw shooting (15-19) was big in the end.

"Our guards didn't shoot well, but in the end when Molly made the floater from behind the backboard to win the game it was crazy, nearly ala Larry Bird.  We called our last time out going into the final seconds and gave the team their out of bounds play and their defensive instructions.  We only talked about what we were going to do after someone made winning basket and we came through.

"It was a great game for both teams going into conference play in January."